The subject invention relates to machines for seating a tire bead on a wheel, and related methods for bead seating.
Various methods and machines have been devised for seating the bead of a tire on a wheel. The objective is always to ensure that the bead, or inner rim, of the tire aligns with and seats within the bead seat on the wheel to ensure proper functioning of the wheel/tire assembly. This is not a trivial problem because there is a fair amount of friction between the tirexe2x80x94which is made of rubber, and the wheelxe2x80x94which is made of metal; so the two do not move easily relative to one another absent some type of lubrication. Most methods involve soaping the tire and wheel, installing the tire on the wheel, inflating the tire at least partially, and manipulating the tire in some manner to get the tire bead to seat on the wheel completely around the diameter of the wheel. One problem with existing methods is that the soap, which acts as the lubricant, dries fairly quickly. Similarly, some portions of the tire and wheel may not receive adequate soaping. When this happens, the friction between the tire and the wheel makes it difficult to seat the bead on the wheel, especially given the existing methods for manipulating the tire and the wheel.
Some skilled practitioners have addressed the problem by massaging the tire to move the bead into its seat. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,101, a machine pushes on the tread of the tire in order to seat the bead.
But even with this technique, to the extent it is effective, there is room for improvement by further manipulation of the wheel and tire.
The subject invention involves a method for seating a tire bead of a tire in the bead seat of a wheel. The method includes the basic steps of: engaging one of the tire and the wheel; and generating reciprocating movement of the one being engaged along the axis of rotation of the tire and wheel to create relative axial movement between the tire and wheel to fully seat the tire bead in the wheel""s bead seat.
The vibration caused by the reciprocating movement acts as a lubricant to ease the tire bead into the bead seat on the wheel. In other words, the vibration helps the tire bead move into the bead seat on the wheel.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is an assembly for ensuring that a tire bead is properly mounted on a wheel bead seat, with the tire bead fully seating in the bead seat. The assembly comprises a clamping mechanism adapted to clamp one of the wheel and the tire; and a reciprocator cooperating with the clamping mechanism operable to move the clamping mechanism in reciprocating, generally linear motion whereby the one will move linearly along its axis of rotation relative to the other to jostle the tire bead into proper seating in the bead seat.